Stilton criticism leaves bad taste

Leicestershire's world-famous cheese industry has defended itself against the latest attack from a group campaigning over high salt levels in food.

It follows a research paper by Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) claiming cheese makers are not doing enough to cut salt levels in their products.

The study refers to salt content being much lower in supermarket own-brand cheeses than branded products – arguing it "demonstrates that it is technically possible to produce cheese with less salt in it".

Blue cheeses such as Stilton are cited as having some of the highest salt levels.

But county cheese makers say salt is absolutely fundamental to the process of producing many well-known cheeses, including Stilton.

Billy Kevan, chairman of the Stilton Cheesemakers' Association and dairy manager at Colston Bassett Dairy, in the Vale of Belvoir, said: "We all know that too much salt is not good for you, but eating Stilton a few times a month is not the same as eating crisps or biscuits every day. Different cheeses have differing levels of salt – the balance of this ingredient plays a part in determining their individual characteristics and flavour profile."

Mr Kevan said it was not just about flavour either.

"As cheese makers, we understand our own product – adding too much salt can be as detrimental as too little.

"But adding salt at the correct stage of production and at the correct level is critical to the cheese making process.

"A professional cheese maker will understand that salt changes the medium for bacterial growth and can help ensure a safe product.

"It arrests the acidity development at a time chosen by the cheese maker for his individual cheese type – and of course allows the cheese to be matured longer without spoiling."

He added: "As part of a balanced diet, cheese can have health benefits.

"Guidelines on salt intake are considered against a complete diet. We understand and know what we are eating with cheese, which is not necessarily the case with other foods."

Tim Brown, of the Melton Cheeseboard shop, in Melton, said: "I know the Stilton cheese makers take the issue of salt very seriously and have made efforts over the years to reduce levels in their products where they can. But, as with everything, healthy eating is about having a broad and varied diet.

"You're not going to live on cheese alone. But, as part of a healthy diet, it can be very beneficial as it contains many vital vitamins, minerals and calcium."

According to the CASH report, cheese is one of the 10 biggest contributors of salt to the UK diet.

Kawther Hashem, nutritionist for CASH and co-author of the study, said it's findings indicate that "targets need to be much more stringent" to get salt intakes down to less than 6g a day, the recommended maximum for a person.

Janice Breedon, marketing manager at Long Clawson Dairy, the specialist Stilton makers, near Melton, said: "Our company policy is now to not comment on these issues.

"All that we have to say on the matter we have said, and it is all out there. We will not be commenting further."

6 comments

High blood pressure often has no symptoms. But if you have it, you are more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke.
Cutting down on salt lowers blood pressure, which means that your risk of having a stroke or developing heart disease is reduced. However, it's your choice.

In the old days salt wasn't put into food just for taste. Salt preserves food and helps deter bacterial infection by things like Botulism. In addition salt is one of our main sources of iodine. The lack of iodine in the diet causes goitres, a swelling of glands in the neck. Too much salt is bad for you but so are many things if taken to excess....

Salt content has gone down on many processed products which for many of us is the primary intake. I have got used to tasting food with herbs and spices with less salt and no longer have a salt pot on the table. That reduction allows me to indulge two foods I must have salt on, fried eggs and chips. All a matter of balance

Are these the ones responsible for completely destroying my taste for crumpets? I used to love a crumpet, but now it seems they all taste like cardboard. My betting it's because the salt has been taken out.

You live by the choices you makes, the choices YOU make. Not the choices that someone else makes for you. I am sick to the back teeth of being told what I should or shouldn't be eating and having other peoples live choices thrust upon me. And by that, I mean I wont be giving up meat any time soon either.

here we go again, the Food Police trying to dictate what we're allowed to choose to eat. Stilton is hardly a staple food, is it? It's usually a relatively small part of a balanced diet. If you lived entirely on Stilton, you'd consume far too much salt. That's true. But most people eat it occasionally so the total amount of salt they get from Stilton is relatively small.